A Split Heart Muscle
by ThestralSpell14407
Summary: Brennan is all about logic. But what does she do when she is faced with something that has no logic? When she is suddenly filled with more emotion than she is used to handling, what will she do? Brennan rescues a little girl and falls in love with her. But that's not the only pwrson she falls in love with! Romance and fluff ensue, and occasionally some drama. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Brennan was up, as usual, at the crack of dawn; 5:30 to be exact. She showered, dressed, and had breakfast, today half of a multi grain bagel with lightly spread cream cheese and a cup of steaming coffee. She then went for a run in the park, listening to an album of her favorite songs. She smiled as she listened to "Hot-Blooded." Ever since she and Booth had sung it and danced to it in her apartment, the song held new meaning to her.

It was her day off, and there were no murder victims as of yet, so she decided to go for a quick grocery trip. As she jogged to the parking lot, she noticed a very small girl, no older than two, being dragged by the woman Brennan assumed to be her mother or caregiver. This struck her as odd, because the child was not putting up a fight or causing any kind of mayhem, so Brennan saw no need for the girl to be dragged. Then Brennan remembered her list and pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

She strolled through the aisles, crossing off items such as herbal tea, bell peppers, and other various things. As she was getting to the refrigerated soy milk, a scream pierced the air of the store. People began to run past her, and, abandoning her basket, Brennan rushed past them toward the scream. It came from the woman she had seen before, the one with the little girl. In front of her, stuffed into one of the freezers, a man, 30-35 years old, had seemingly exploded. The glass was fogged up, so no one had seen him until the woman had opened the door.

The little girl started to cry, and the woman's expression rapidly changed from one of shock at finding the corpse to one of anger. "Stop that, Elsie! This is your fault, you hear! Now stop it, or i'll call the police on you!" The child continued to cry, her caregiver's threats only adding to her fear. "Elsie…" the woman raised her hand to the girl, but before she could strike her, Brennan stepped in front of her.

"Enough. What did this child do to make you tell her that she killed this man? I can assure you that she did not, and that you have no right to strike her." The woman, who Brennan could now see was an alcoholic, glared at her. "I have every right. You dare tell me what I can do with my own child?" Suddenly, Brennan had a realization.

"You are not this child's mother. Step away from her. Now!" She knelt down in front of the little girl, who was trembling in fear. "Hey, I'm Temperance, okay? Everything's going to be okay. Just stay with me, all right." The girl, saucer eyed, nodded. Brennan whipped out her phone and quickly dialed Booth's number.

"Booth!"

"It's me, Brennan. I'm at the grocery store and a woman found a body in one of the freezers. I also found out that the woman, an alcoholic, is in possession of a child that is not her own who she has abused. The woman might be a suspect."

"I'm on my way."

An hour later, Elsie still hadn't spoken a word. She clung to Brennan, and she wouldn't let anyone else touch her. After speaking to several officers, Brennan looked down to see the exhausted face of the little girl. Sighing, she picked her up. Elsie buried her small face in Brennan's hair.

Walking over from the crime scene, Booth smiled at Brennan and her charge. "Hey, Bones! Who's this?" Brennan smiled.

"This is Elsie. Elsie, this is my friend, Booth. Can you say hi?" Elsie untangle herself only long enough to glance at Booth and wave shyly. Then she rested her head on Brennan's shoulder. "She's pretty worn out. Did you get the okay from the agent in charge?"

"Yep! He says you're good to go."

"What about my theory?"

"You were right. The suspect, Lola Hanes, was not her biological mother. Other than that, we have no information on her. Look, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Please don't tell anyone at the lab why i'm gone. I'll be taking a personal leave for a couple weeks. Thank you, Booth."

"Do you at least want a lift home?"

"Yes. Please."

With Elsie in her arms, Brennan made her way to the door. "Elsie, do you think it would be alright if you stay with me for a little while?" Elsie nodded. Satisfied, the two followed Booth out of the building and to his SUV.

Later, after she had put the little girl to bed, she reflected on her day. Somehow, she always managed to turn a day off into a 20 hour work day. She found that the incident of the Grocery Store was stirring up memories of the first few days after her own parents disappeared. Suddenly feeling emotional, and not agreeing with it one bit, she stood up from her spot on the couch. Quietly walking down the hallway to her bedroom, she looked down to where Elsie slept peacefully on a mattress on the floor. Kneeling, she placed a gentle kiss on the girl's forehead and smoothed back her hair.

She stood up and sank into bed, shoes and all, immediately falling into a deep slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

_Brennan was dreaming. She always found her dreams quite interesting, much more interesting than her real life, and often they lead to revelations and realizations about her life. She was in a shallow pool of water that ran on for miles and miles. She was floating up from the pool, soaring in the sky, up with the birds and the clouds and the sun. She was in the raging ocean during a storm, when she came face to face with a walrus that looked suspiciously like Booth._

_"Bones," it said loudly. "Bones!"_

* * *

"Bones! Wake up, I only have fifteen more minutes before work starts." Booth was leaning over her. She lay, hair tangled, on her back. Next to her in bed was Ellie, who had apparently climbed into bed with her during the night. Booth grinned. "Good, morning, sleeping beauty."

"Oh, Booth. You didn't have to come here, especially if you're going to be late for work. What time is it?"

"Quarter of nine."

"I overslept."

"You can't oversleep when you're on personal leave, Bones! You of all people should know that!"

"Really?" Brennan sat up and stretched. Booth looked at her fondly, grinning at her naievete.

"I brought you two breakfast, it's on the table. Listen, Bones, I have to go. I'll stop by at around six to check in. Kay?"

"You don't have to, Booth." He gave her a toothy smile.

"Yes, I do."

"Fine. Make sure you don't tell anyone at work about what's going on."

"Even Angela?" Brennan sighed.

"Except maybe Angela. But no one else! And find out what happened to that murder victim."

"Got it. Seen you later." At this point, Elsie was awake, and she snuggled into Brennan's side when she saw Booth. "Bye, Elsie." Elsie seemed to have forgotten that she wasn't talking, and she waved.

"Ba, Boot." This broke Brennan's heart. This child was so adorable! Then she reminded herself that her heart wasn't really broken. It was perfectly healthy. Booth grinned from down the hall and walked out the door.

"Good morning, Elsie! Wasn't it nice of Booth to bring us breakfast?"

"Yes Tempe...Tempe... Mommy."

"All right ,darling. Let's get dressed and then we can get you some new clothes and toys after we eat." It broke her heart again when the girl called her Mommy.

"But not at the store that scawy, okay?" Elsie's wide blue eyes bore into hers.

"Okay." Brennan realized that the little girl looked surprisingly similar to her as a child. Blue eyes, light brown hair, and almost identical bone structure.

The two ate breakfast in a comfortable silence, then walked the three blocks to the store, stopping for Elsie to hop over a crack in the street, or to look at an ant hill. Brennan crouched down and pointed at the ant hill. "Did you know that these are only the worker ants? The other ants, and the queen ant are sitting inside." Elsie stared at it with new fascination.

At the store, Elsie exhibited signs of Post-Traumatic Stress. She trembled slightly and clung o Brennan, leg until she was forced to pick her up. Then she started to cry. "Mommy, it wasn't my fault. Pwease don't hit me."

"Elsie, I promise that I will never hit you, and I will never let anyone else hurt you either. Do you understand?" Elsie sniffled and nodded. "Now let's go pick out some cool new toys!" Elsie smiled shyly.

Brennan got a cart and put Elsie inside of it. She first allowed Elsie to pick out several toys, then went to get clothes. She turned a corner and ran right into Angela. Angela's look of surprise quickly melted into her usual wide smile.

"Hey, sweetie. What are you doing here? Who's this?"

"Hi, Angela. This is Elsie, and she's staying with me right now. Can you say hi, Elsie? This is my friend Angela." Elsie turned around and waved a little. The she leaned in to Brennan.

"Mommy, is she youw fwiend yike Boot?"

"My god, sweetie, she looks just like you! She is so cute! I'm just shopping for the baby, when it comes. Care to fill me in?" With a look at Elsie's anxious face, Brennan made an executive decision.

"Do you know what, Ange? I'll call you later. Don't tell anyone at work about this, okay?"

"Okay. See you soon, I hope."

* * *

Booth took the elevator to Brennan's floor. He had with him food, a movie, and a stuffed pig. He could hear footsteps and a voice inside. Smiling, he knocked on the door. It was opened a crack by someone very small.

"Who wis it?" Booth grinned down at the small, inquisitive face. She looked a lot like Brennan.

"It's Booth. Can I come in?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because Mommy said not to open the door for strangers."

"Where's your Mommy? Can I talk to her?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"She's in the bathroom."

"Well, I'm not a stranger. You know me from earlier, remember?" She gave him a look that almost made him laugh. She looked at him like he was an idiot for thinking that she wouldn't remember him, which reminded him of Brennan once again.

"You're Boot."

"That's me. Can I come in?"

"Okay."

* * *

Brennan walked out of the bathroom only to find that Elsie, who had been very shy until then, was giggling on the floor as Booth tickled her. She jumped up with a stuffed pig and ran to Brennan.

"Yook, Mommy! Yook what Boot got fow me!"

"I see that, sweet heart. Hello, Booth."

"Hey Bones!" I brought over dinner and a movie for you two."

"Oh, Booth." Brennan threw him a look of pure affection and he returned it. "You didn't have to do all this! We can manage PDF?ectly well on our own."

"I know, Bones. I just like making sure you're okay. Should we watch the movie now?"

"I don't know. Bedtime is at 7:30."

"Please, Bones, please?"

"Pwease, Mommy, pwease?" The sight of both Elsie and Booth on the floor begging her was so comical that she couldn't resist.

"Fine. But as soon as tge movie is over, straight to bed."

* * *

At the end of the movie, Booth hit the button on the remote to stop it. Next to him, Brennan had fallen asleep on his shoulder and Elsie was also asleep, snuggled into her lap. Smiling again, something he had been doing a lot recently, he unfolded a blanket and draped it over them. Kissing both their foreheads, he gingerly got up and left, quiet, through the front door.


End file.
